Means for covering and repairing- iron ships and other navigable



UNITED STATES PATENT GFFIC.

RICHARD F. LOPER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MEANS FOR COVERING AND REPAIRING- IRON vSHIPS AND OTHER NAVIGAIBLEVESSELS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 34,151, dated January 14, 1862.

To all whom it may cof/warn.'

Be it known that I, R. F. LOPER, of the city of Philadelphia, in thecounty of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented vacertain new and useful Improvement in Covering and Renovating Old IronBoats and other Vessels of Freight or Passage; and I do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof,reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters andmarks thereon.

All vessels constructed of iron and designed to be used for conveyingpassengers or carrying freight, either on the ocean or on rivers orlakes, propelled by steam or driven by sails may become subjects of myinvention. Such vessels or boats are liable to have the iron on theoutside of their hulls become so thin by wear or rust as to render thevessel leaky and unsafe. Repairing such Vessels by riveting metal platesover the unsound `parts has been found not to answer, or to beserviceable, and it has been customary, previous to the use of myinvention, to regard such vessels as of little or no value. Vhenrenovated under my invention such vessels are stronger and of greaterpractical value than a new vessel of wood or of iron.

By the drawings forming part of this specification my invention is shownapplied to an old iron vessel, Figure 1 thereof being la view bytransverse vertical section between midship and stern-post, and Fig. 2 aview by longitudinal vertical section of the keel, keelson, stemwpostand stern post.

In each of these figures where like parts are shown like marks andletters are used to indicate the parts.

In carrying out my invention I take from the water and place in suitablecondition to be operated upon, the boat or vessel, the iron on theoutside of the hull of which has become so thin by wear or rust that thevessel may leak or be unsafe, and with wooden timber form a keel (a),stem-post (b), and stern-post (c), to fit the iron keel (d), sternpost(e) and stern-post (f). A rabbet should be out in the wooden keel forthe garboard streak and in the stem-post and stern-post for the woodends. I-Ioles should be cut in the old iron hull (g) to receive thefastenings of the outside plank Put on the planking for the bends andthen the garboard streak and plank up the sides in the usual manner, orplank in any other way the shipbuilder may think proper. The plank maybe secured to the iron hull by means of screw-bolts or in any othersuitable manner. I prefer fastening by screw-bolts in the followingmanner: Cuta hole in the iron hull in every part where you wish tofasten the planking, fit the plank to the bottom or sides of the vessel,then go on the inside and placing the auger in the hole through the ironhull bore through the wooden plank, ream out the hole in the outsideplank to a proper size to receive the wooden plug (le) which covers thehead of the bolt (Z) that fastens the plank to the iron hull. This beingdone, and the bolt being a good fit, put a nut (m) on the end of thebolt inside of the vessel and screw the plank firm against the ironhull; then put in the plug on the outside planking in the same manner asplugs are put in t-he deck of the vessel.

I recommend that the bolts and plugs should be dipped in thick whitelead or paint before they are put in the planking or driven in thevessel; this will prevent the bolt rusting and leaking.

I had on hand two iron steamers and a barge that became unsafe, owing towear and rust. I have had them planked as described in thisspecification and I would rather have them when finished in this waythan a new iron boat or a new wooden boat of the same size.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is-The planking of old iron boats or secondhand vessels as set forth,whereby a safe and good vessel or boat can be made out of any ironvessel or boat after the iron has become thin by wear or rust asdescribed.

This specification signed this 1st day of March 1861.

R. F. LOPER.

Witnesses:

T. T. EVERETT, F. S. MYER.

